THE NECESSITY OF OFF-HAND PROFICIENCY (Dry-Fire Drills Included)

Jeremy Miller, LMS Defense Instructor

Much of the training that we all do is meant to ensure our success in a fight. As John mentioned earlier in the week, the ability to shoot off-handed with the rifle is an important skill to be proficient in, especially in a close-quarters environment.

My current position has me in the high threat protection arena. Here, we spend a considerable amount of time in vehicles, and situations requiring us to utilize our rifles from within the vehicles are always a possibility. Recently I had a conversation with someone who indicated he didn’t like to sit in the left rear position of the vehicle, because he was right-handed and “sucked at off-hand shooting.” It got me thinking about the necessity of off-handed shooting proficiency. If the need arises for you to utilize your weapon from this particular position, being a right-handed shooter, you have a number of factors working against you (The opposite side of the vehicle provides the same difficulties for a left-handed shooter). The first being the fact that you are generally not as accurate, fast, or stable with your weapon from the off-hand. Second, you are functioning in an adrenaline-induced state. Third, you are having to engage from a VERY awkward position—sitting in a moving vehicle, leaning outside of the door, completely unsecured to the vehicle itself. Of course this is a position that many people will never find themselves in, however the need to be accurate and proficient with shooting with the off-hand is still very important. With that, these are the off-hand dry-fire exercises that I include into my dry-fire practice sessions.

First and foremost, go through your Dry Fire Setup and Safety Protocol. John listed his in the previous post.

25 optic/iron sight - pull, transition to offhand, pull - Standing

-During this series, my safety aiming dot is to my front.

-The focus during this exercise is proper transition, proper sight picture, and smooth, proper trigger pull. Pay special attention to your sight alignment during the off-hand pull. Your muscles are most likely not used to this motion; it will take time and repetition.

25 optic/iron sight - offhand pulls – Sitting (chair)

-During this series, my safety aiming dot is on my right. If you are left-handed, your safety aiming dot would be on the left.

-Again, focus on proper shooting fundamentals. Watch your sight alignment during the pull.

These exercises can be incorporated into your normal dry-fire routine, and with effective live-fire training, you will begin to develop the muscle memory needed to proficiently engage targets on the offhand.